Wisconsin honors Illinois concealed carry permits

MADISON -- Wisconsin is now honoring Illinois concealed carry permits. The decision was made Saturday April, 5th. Monday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice updated their online concealed carry out-of-state license reciprocity list to include Illinois.

 

Wisconsin honors carry permits from other states if those permit-holders go through a background check that is comparable to the type required for a Wisconsin concealed carry license.  The Wisconsin DOJ determined background checks for an Illinois concealed carry permit are comparable.

 

With the addition of Illinois, Wisconsin now honors permits from; Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wyoming.

 

Illinois began issuing their concealed carry licenses this January. Last December, Wisconsin Department of Justice sent a letter to Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau to establish reciprocity. A Wisconsin DOJ spokeswoman says the DOJ didn’t receive a response to the letter until last Tuesday, April 1st.

 

Illinois’ standards appear to have met the requirements to establish reciprocity with Wisconsin prior to this month, but a delay in response from Illinois State Police left Wisconsin officials unable to verify Illinois’ standards.

 

A Wisconsin DOJ spokeswoman says, “Whether an Illinois resident with a valid Illinois permit could have been prosecuted for carrying concealed in Wisconsin prior to April 5 would be up to the discretion of the local district attorney where the alleged violation would've occurred.“ 

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